Biedermeier Furniture
The authentic Biedermeier furniture on 1stDibs is representative of the first modern European decorative style not dictated by the tastes of the aristocracy. Following the Napoleonic wars, a growing, wealthy urban middle class in the German-speaking states of Central Europe began to demand rights and privileges once granted only to nobles. To avoid trouble, the upwardly striving confined their political discussions to one another’s homes. And so the salon was born.
Cabinetmakers in cities such as Vienna, Berlin and Mainz began to offer goods that reflected the tastes and needs of the new class. The makers of Biedermeier chairs, tables and other furniture used little or no gilding, silver hardware or other lavish ornament. Ebonized trims are common on Biedermeier cabinetry, and neoclassical elements — lyre-shaped chair splats, carved scrollwork, table supports shaped like Greek columns. But the strongest aesthetic statement came from the wood — richly-grained, honey-colored, often book-matched veneers of walnut and fruitwood.
There are two iconic Biedermeier furniture forms, both made to outfit rooms designed for conversation. One is the sofa, deeply upholstered with a strong, architectural wooden frame. The second is the circular pedestal table, which stood at the center of the room, offering a surface on which to place coffee and cake services; or to roll out a map, or sketch out ideas on paper.
“Biedermeier” was originally a derogatory term — it derives from the pen names of two German magazine writers who mocked bourgeois manners. Looking at the elegant and refined antique, new and vintage Biedermeier furniture offered on 1stDibs, that is now an amusing irony.
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Cherry
1840s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
1830s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Glass
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple, Pine
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1810s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Ebony, Maple, Walnut, Paint
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Cherry, Ebony
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1890s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry, Ebony, Softwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Iron
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
1770s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-17th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 1900s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Cherry
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Fabric, Upholstery, Rattan
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Ash, Pine
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Olive
1840s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple, Pine
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cane, Cherry
1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Palisander
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fruitwood, Mirror
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1890s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut